


Ghost Hunt

by TheMockingCrows



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghost Hunters, Blood, Haunting, M/M, self injury, urbex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:35:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28482507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMockingCrows/pseuds/TheMockingCrows
Summary: When Dave and Bro Strider go urbexing to get some sick shots in an abandoned hospital, with an extra side of ghost hunting, they think it'll be like all the other times they've gone to somewhere and poked around. They aren't nearly prepared enough for what happens when the hospital isn't so abandoned, let alone when the hospital itself doesn't want to let them go...
Relationships: Dave's Bro | Beta Dirk Strider/Dave Strider
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16
Collections: Stridercest Secret Santa





	Ghost Hunt

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dutch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dutch/gifts).



> Tada! I was your secret santa! I'm so glad you enjoyed your fic, it was hard keeping a secret for so long.

The air was thick with dust that hadn’t been disturbed in what seemed like decades, a rarity considering how popular urbex was these days. No footprints on the floor, no handprints on the walls or bannisters. The entire complex looked untouched. Was the entire thing empty like this, slowly falling apart and returning to nothingness? Even stranger, why was there a distinct lack of graffiti? Even if people hadn’t been there for ages, graffiti was a commonplace thing where humans roamed. There were always young punks itching to mark new turf.

“...This place canvassed by the cops, or what?” Dave breathed, flicking his heavy flashlight around the ground floor, taking in the stairwell, the different doors that led to dark hallways.

“Scared of gettin’ caught?” Bro asked, thumbing over the different devices in his messenger bag, making sure there were spare batteries, and that the emergency kit was tucked in the bottom.

“No,” Dave said immediately. Yes. Terribly afraid of getting caught, though it wasn’t humans he was concerned with being caught by.

There was something to be said about a hospital at night that had patients in it being creepy. An abandoned one in such good condition in the middle of fucking nowhere? That was terrifying. Maybe it was because he had never really been around hospitals before, but something just felt… off.

“You got enough batteries?”

“Yeah, tons. Can’t even count how many I’ve got at the ready, if we run into anyone wantin’ trouble I can just swing this bitch an-”

“Right. Let’s get a look around the ground floor before goin’ up?” Bro interrupted. He didn’t usually talk much, but things like this seemed to excite him. Maybe it was just because nobody else was around but Dave, he could act like he did at home, or maybe it was the bit of adrenaline kicking up in his bloodstream. Whatever the source, Dave could tell Bro was excited to explore.

“Put your mask on, the place’s prolly crawlin’ with asbestos and mold.”

“I’ll die young and leave a pretty corpse,” Bro said, but pulled his mask out and pulled it on over his nose and mouth all the same, waiting till Dave did the same. He already knew if he went without Dave would too, which wouldn’t do. Masked up and ready, the duo flicked their lights between the different hallways and hummed. “Eenie meenie miney moe, catch a demon by the toe-”

“Let’s just go forward,” Dave said. “Prolly goes to the heart of the place instead of the wings, might be some interestin’ shit.”

“Good idea, we can always go to the sides later. Inward then upwards should be fine.”

The hospital itself was, as at the very front, in eerily untouched condition. Wheelchairs cracked and aged with wear and tear on top of the dust, sat in a silent row waiting for patients who would never come. The white halls were decorated with dismal looking still life art in cracked frames, and the tiles were crumbling and crunching beneath their feet along with peelings of paint from the walls and ceiling that had piled up.

Occasionally, Dave’s camera flashed as he found interesting angles to capture, different rooms they passed that seemed lost in time, half of their contents abandoned and left to the elements. Dave took selfies with a few sights, dragging Bro down by the shoulders to get his lanky self into the frame as well, stupid shades and all. Hell, with all the dust in here maybe their ever present shades were a bonus of protection for their eyes, deflecting debris as they went forwards into the thick of the building.

“Shit, it’s like a movie set,” Dave breathed as they reached a waiting room, running a finger along the edge of a retro looking chair. “Where is this, a clinic?”

“Looks like it’s the emergency room,” Bro said after glancing around at the walls, gesturing with a flashlight towards the signage. “See? E.R. Guess the ambulance entrance is somewhere near here.”

“Should we keep flashlights low?” Dave asked. “How visible is this place from a road?”

“Not visible at all, you saw how dead it was outside when we were drivin’ up. There’s no clear shots, at least not anymore.”

“Fuckin’ weird ass hospital in the middle of nowhere,” he mumbled, rubbing his fingertips together to feel the thick dust like talc disperse into the air.

“C’mon kid, E.R. means there’ll prolly be triage rooms to explore. Prolly have some gurneys left over, could make for some sick shots.”

Perking up at the idea of some good photography options, Dave hummed and followed Bro’s lead as he slipped a hand into his bag and pulled out an EMF meter, flicking it on and passing it around as they went. 

“Shit’s dead in here,” he sighed, sounding disappointed. Dave, on the other hand, seemed delighted. 

“Check it, there IS a gurney! C’mon, take my pic for me,” he said excitedly, hopping up onto the rickety looking device and holding out his precious camera. “Get my good side, I wanna look like a Hollywood extra that came in at 7am instead of 9am for makeup.”

“Alright, alright,” Bro said as he slipped his flashlight under his arm to juggle the camera with his hands, EMF meter mostly forgotten for now. “Say cheese.”

_ Aaaa…… _

“....Was that you?” Dave asked, shining his flashlight towards Bro’s face with a frown, trying to see if he was teasing. “If you’re fucking with me, I swear to God I’ll-”

“Shhhhhh,” Bro said, snapping a quick picture before turning the meter back on. It flickered a few times, making him raise his brows. “Looks like we’ve got company somewhere.”

Dave shuddered. Great. Here he was wanting urbex, not actual ghost encounters, and now the stupid meter was saying there was something around? It NEVER said there was something around, they usually just wandered around for a few hours, took sick pictures and got their thrills before leaving and getting some cheeseburgers at a 24 hour place. Ghosts weren’t on Dave’s radar, they weren’t even in his field of what he wanted out of this, he wanted to hang out with Bro and maybe make out later if they found a cool spot that set the mood right with moonlight or something, not-

“Dave? Camera duty,” Bro said, waving the camera in front of Dave’s face till he finally snapped out of his reverie and snatched it. “Maybe we’ll finally catch somethin’ more than orbs and shadows and shit.”

“Yeah, and maybe my dick’ll be crowned reignin’ queen of England.”

“C’mon kid, you used to be all about this ghost shit when you were a teen,” Bro said, looking over. “You grow out of it or somethin’? Am I gonna have to go exploring on my own now? Senior citizen over here, goin’ on the prowl all on my lonesome. What if I break a hip, Dave, there’s no life alert in urbex, you want a ghost to break my hip? Ghost insurance isn’t a thing either, we’d be out of luck, this handsome bastard would be down and out and you’d just have to hope I could crawl my way home.”

“We’ve got the truck,” Dave said with a roll of his eyes. “And c’mon, I’m not  _ over _ it, I’m just…”

“Scared?”

“No!” Yes. “C’mon, let’s see where your stupid meter says to go.”

The stupid meter, after following it for a while, said little of their apparent guest. Their ears, however, gave more hints. Bro held his breath to listen closer while gesturing for Dave to be quiet, waiting ten beats of his heart before he heard another distinct sound from upstairs. The same ghostly wail, disconnected from reality and just the right pitch to raise the hairs even on Bro’s nape.

“Upstairs?” he asked.

“Upstairs,” Dave agreed, steeling himself. This was no big deal. So what? Maybe ghosts WERE real and he’d be famous for snapping a picture of its weird face. Proof of life after death, by Dave Strider? Weird but true! Could be famous for this, get on talk shows, get in books, maybe get a movie deal and- “Wait, there’s no forwards up here. Which direction should we go?”

“Left,” Bro shrugged. “People usually pick right, so let’s go left and see what happens. Can always go right afterwards.”

“Yeah,” Dave murmured, keeping his hand ready on the camera.

“Maybe we can find a good room to do the sound box in, see if we can get any hits off that.”

“Ugh, I hate that thing, it’s so fuckin’ loud, whatever’s livin’ here would be pissed at it too.”

“Good. We’ll get a pretty picture of its angry face then,” Bro said with a smirk.

The left led to a ward, different rooms branching to either side with a nurses station in the center of the space, a roll of dusty bandages sat next to an eternal calendar whose blocks were knocked astray. Bro hummed thoughtfully as Dave snapped a few pictures and checked the screen to verify there was nothing in view.

“A patient, prolly? I don’t expect many nurses or doctors in a place that looks this modern unless they were relentlessly attached to their job or like, got shanked or somethin’,” he said, looking at the rows of rooms. “They prolly all look identical too. Pick one, we’ll base in there and see what we get.”

Dave tipped his head and swept his flashlight around before gesturing to one room at the end of the hall. “That one’s closed. Let’s try there, the rest are open.”

“Gambler, I love it,” Bro said as he made his way down to the door, grunting when it gave him trouble opening. With his shoulder, he forced it open after turning the handle, shoving his way inside with a loud creak. Dave caught his breath behind him in his mask, and took one quiet snapshot from the doorway.

The interior was definitely unlike the other rooms. Here there were burnt out candles and wax patterns on the floor, symbols on the walls in what he hoped was paint, and garbage littering the space. Save for a bed and a counter in the corner by the ruined bathroom, the room was a loss. Well, a loss to anyone hunting for untouched buildings.

“Why is it all marked up in here and not anywhere else?” Dave asked quietly as he followed in after Bro to explore and take more pictures.

“Look close, these aren’t tags, they’re like. Shit people use for rituals or somethin’, not names or normal tags or cuss words,” Bro said, touching one and then rubbing his fingertips together. Dry. Definitely not fresh, whatever it was. “Prolly happened right after the place was abandoned, or some time ago, to make it so there were no footprints anywhere on the way here.”

“...Okay, so this place is kinda given’ me the creeps,” Dave admitted. “The windows aren’t even busted out. What place has ever had non-busted windows?”

“A few of the lesser known ones, and the private houses,” Bro answered, rummaging through his bag for a minute before pulling out the sound box. “Come to Papa.”

Dave groaned, but took another few pictures and stayed near the wall as Bro set the sound box on the ground where the ritual marks were, turning it on and setting it to scrolling through the stations of AM and FM radio. Flickers of sound sounded out as the different stations were located and passed by, barely there long enough to register before they were being passed over and over again. 

“Anyone there?” Bro asked, voice taking on the commanding tone that made Dave’s stomach twist. The radio continued to buzz and hum loudly as it continued to blur through signals, Bro looking at it expectantly.

“ **_Yes”_ ** sounded out from amid the chatter and background noise, clear and deep. Dave jumped a bit, not expecting them to get an answer, and readied his camera without having to be told.

“Alright, good. Who we talkin’ to?” Bro asked, shifting his weight from one leg to the other so his hip jut to the side, popping the bag out. He rummaged into it for the recorder, wanting to see if he could catch the conversation if one was to happen.

Silence, save for the static sounds and blips and beeps between stations, met their ears. At least until Bro took a step forward to pick the device up. Loudly, clear across the stations without interruption, came the same deep masculine voice.

“ **_English….”_ **

“English?” Dave asked. “Weird fuckin’ na-AGH,” he yipped, jumping forwards a few feet when the door slammed shut near him. With how stuck the door had been before, there was no way it would simply have slipped shut with a breeze, even if there had been a way to get the breeze this deep into the building.

“Don’t touch nothin’,” Bro was quick to say, though he reached a hand out to grab Dave by the shirt collar, wanting to be certain of where he was at even without the flashlight juggling all over itself. “Alright tall dark and prolly handsome, what you want?”

Dave was caught up thinking his brother was lifting him off his feet by his shirt, feet rising to the balls then to the tips before leaving the floor. He grumbled and reached out to grab Bro by the wrist. “Knock it off, put me down.”

“I’m not-” Bro started, then looked over with a frown. Dave had lifted a good five inches off the ground by then, and the back of his collar was now growing taut in the other direction. He shot a glance to the source of sound once more as it broke out in continuous laughter, deep and menacing. Dave shot out of Bro’s hand and hit the wall, not dropping his camera due to his death grip on it, but landing firmly on his feet afterwards, winded.

“Bro!” he cried, amazed that he was unharmed, though more than a little dizzy for the trouble.

“DOOR,” Bro shouted, deciding to abandon the soundbox in favor of yanking the stuck door open, bracing it for Dave to rush through, flashlight bobbing as he raced down the hall to the nurses station. “Keep goin’, we’re outta here!”

“Right!”

With quick footsteps they raced back the way they’d come to the stairs, only to skid to a halt at a blank wall. 

“What…?” Bro said softly, flicking his flashlight left and right over the surface before touching it, then punching it. He felt the sting in his knuckles, and little more. No yield to be had. 

“This was the way we came from! I know it!” Dave insisted.

“Yeah, I know kid. But it looks like we need another way down. If we can’t find one, we’ll bust out a window and jump, it’s only the first floor,” Bro reasoned. 

Going back up the stairs, Bro flicked his flashlight back towards the room that they’d fled, surprised it had gone quiet. However, he wished he hadn’t looked. Instead of an empty doorway with a faint glow from an electronic device inside of it, there stood a tall, menacing figure draped in shadow, the shining glint of a skull in plain view. When it took a step it creaked like leather, but they didn’t stick around to observe it longer. Dave snapped one picture reflexively before they ran down the hall another direction, hunting for a way down.

The building was like a maze, leading them in circles until finally they gave up and went up another floor to hunt for a way down. No elevator shafts, no stairwells, no emergency exits. They wandered at a jog until they grew tired, then huffed and puffed at a walk when they were sure nothing was stalking them directly any longer.

“How long till dawn?” Dave asked, “I’ll feel a lot better once I can get some sunlight in these windows.”

Bro lifted his wrist and frowned again, watching the hands spin counterclockwise. “...Can’t be too much longer.”

“Yeah, but how long, you can tell time.”

“Dave, the watch isn’t workin’, I’d tell you if I could. But we haven’t been here too terribly long, it’d be a while but not forever,” Bro said. “Let’s find somewhere to chill out and rest.”

“Chill out, right. Chill as a fuckin’ cucumber,” Dave muttered under his breath, tensing when his flashlight flickered and dimmed. “Fuck me, I’ll need a battery change soon.”

“Battery swap and a snack or somethin’. We’ll be alright,” Bro promised. He was pretty sure he couldn’t punch a demon, but if it was possible he’d find a way to keep Dave safe. That thing had already tossed him around once and he’d come out unharmed, he didn’t feel like risking a second time. 

The area they chose to rest in was a waiting room area, pushing chairs around to block doors to make themselves feel safer before camping out against a wall near the windows. Dave swapped his batteries out while Bro took out the bottle of water he’d brought along, then watched as Dave dug out a chocolate bar.

“Chocolate huh?”

“Granola’s gross,” Dave shrugged, taking a bite of the bar like a heathen before offering it to Bro who popped a few pieces off the brick and put them in his mouth.

“You just don’t have a sense of taste, granola’s good for you. They’ve even got kinds that taste like apple pie.”

“And cardboard,” Dave countered, resting his head back against the wall with a frown. He reached up and rubbed his chest absently, leaving Bro to look over at him with concern.

“When you got lifted up, did it hurt at all? Or when you got tossed?”

“No. My teeth clicked pretty hard and it knocked some of my wind out but I’m fine,” Dave promised. When Bro extended a long arm, he tucked himself close to his side and took another bite of chocolate, comforted without words the same as he had been for two decades now.

“When we get home you wanna write up a blog post?” Bro asked with a smirk. “Or just wanna take a long nap.”

“A hot shower then a long nap. Fuck this place.”

“Agreed.”

With the chocolate bar finished and the bottle of water drank, they eventually got up and began to wander once more, searching for a way down. However, all they ever saw were empty rooms and ways upwards, which they didn’t want to take. Dave sighed softly.

“This place is bullshit, there’s no way these hallways make sense. I think we should go back the way we came.”

“Back to big tall and ugly?” Bro asked. “You sure?”

“Yeah. That had to be the way down, I know it was.”

“We already went back, I thought. We went in a big circle.”

“No we didn’t,” Bro reasoned, looking out one of the thick glass windows and gesturing with his flashlight. “See? Truck’s out there, out fro-... Where’s the truck.”

“We must be at the back or the side,” Dave said with a shrug. “We just need to go around to the front again.”

“No, that’s the front of the place, see the sign?” Bro insisted, squinting. “Where the fuck’s the truck?”

“...Let’s go back,” Dave said, tugging at Bro’s arm till he left the window, perturbed.

The way ‘back’ was the way forward, seeing rooms both unfamiliar and familiar as they went by. Ward rooms, exam rooms, storage rooms, a kitchenette. X-ray and MRI were also apparently on this floor, though they’d not seen them on their way through the first time. Every so often, Bro would stop at the window and check outside to see if he saw the truck, and each time he looked more and more tense.

No truck.

Worse, no change in the position of the sign.

This made no sense. None of this made any sense.

“Maybe I should check some of the meters, if we find that fucker again at least we’d know we were goin’ the right way,” Bro said softly to himself.

“Maybe we should just bust the window out and take our risks gettin’ down now,” Dave said. “I’m done. I wanna go home. This stopped bein’ fun a while ago.”

“Agreed, man, but-”

“You’re stronger. Pop the window, just feelin’ the breeze wold help. We could hear which way the highway was too, it’s quiet enough here,” Dave instructed, leaving little room for argument.

Bro didn’t look impressed at the idea, but sized up the glass. Not bulletproof or anything, he should be able to do it with enough force. He rapped it with his knuckles for a moment before he turned and aimed a solid kick with the boot of his heel , grunting when it failed to make so much as a crack. Another harder kick sent him wobbling back a step or two from the rebound, the glass remaining polished and perfect where it stood.

“Let’s find another window, this one’s too thick. Might need to use furniture or somethin’ to pop one.”

Alas, however, that proved to be no luck either. Furniture, fists, feet, even the heavy ends of the flashlights didn’t leave so much as a mark on the glass. Feeling more than a little caged, Dave came close and banged his fists on it till he grew tired, glowering at the impregnable surface that glistened and gleamed to spite him. 

“Ugh, fuck this place! What the shit, not even a dent? Nothing? Is this bulletproof glass?” Dave yelled, slamming the side of his fist against the glass one final time before wincing and rubbing his hand. Bro stepped closer and grasped it, rubbing the bones to check for damage. “It’s fine, nothin’ popped.”

“Sue me for makin’ sure, you were really goin’ to town there,” he smirked. “If we can’t find the way down, or a way out… why not go up further. Find the rooftop, find the fire escape. Older buildin’ like this has gotta have some kind of outside system, even if it’s just to a courtyard, right?”

“Yeah, makes sense,” Dave agreed, taking his hand back. “...I’m gettin’ tired, Bro. What do we do if we can’t get ou-”

“We’ll get out,” Bro promised. “C’mon.”

The second the started trying to find a way up as opposed to down, they found a stairwell. The downwards spiral was blocked, but the upwards was uninterrupted for two floors, then three, four, five.

“...How tall is this building,” Dave said quietly as they exited the stairs to the hallway and glanced side to side. Bro didn’t move, instead freezing for a second before turning around sharply. Dave followed suit, and gaped at the blank wall behind them.

“Oh for fucks sake,” Bro hissed. “We’re not goin’ crazy, right?”

“I’ve been wondering if we have been for a while now, but…” Dave trailed off, pinching his own arm, then reaching up to pinch Bro’s cheek sharply enough he slapped his hand away instinctively.

“Not dreamin’ then.”

“...How are we gonna get out?” Dave asked softer, quieter then. Worried. Stressed.

Scared.

Bro reached a hand up to ruffle at Dave’s hair, same as he had for years now, and tugged him into a one armed hug, squeezing maybe a little rougher than intended just to securely ground him.

“C’mon. Let’s take another sit down and put our heads together. We’ll figure somethin’ out,” he promised.

“I’m fresh outta chocolate, I didn’t think to pack a picnic for this midnight escapade,” Dave snorted.

“It’s alright. I didn’t pack much beyond batteries either,” Bro admitted, glancing around before deciding right where they were was good enough for a sit down, sinking down to one knee before dropping flat on his ass. ...What was he going to do? The fear was starting to rise as an uncomfortable reality set in: he didn’t know. There was something aggressive somewhere in this building that had already laid hands on Dave once, the truck seemed to be missing, as were the useful paths. The building itself was twisting around them instead of just being a maze of some kind, they had no food, no water, and nothing but batteries to tide themselves over. He reached into his bag to rummage among the batteries for the EMF meter again, flicking it towards the newly appeared wall curiously, and sighing when the meter didn’t blip in the slightest. Annoyed, he turned and chucked the meter down the hallway, satisfied when it cracked against the ground. Dave, settled beside him by then, jumped.

“Why’d you do that?”

“Not helpin’ us,” he shrugged. “Was pissed.”

“Camera isn’t helpin’ us either, but you try to touch this thing I’ll break your arm,” Dave said, curling himself around the camera protectively. That thing was practically his baby. Bro shook his head.

“I wouldn’t dare.”

“Well. ...Good,” he murmured. “Jesus I’m tired, my feet are hurtin’.”

“Could take a rest, I’ll keep an eye out,” Bro said quietly. “You used to nap on me all the time as a kiddo, pretty sure my lap hasn’t gotten any less comfortable over time.”

“Not gettin’ bony in your old age?” Dave asked as he flicked his flashlight off. The dimmer space felt less safe, but with Bro warm against his side, it made it easier for Dave to slowly sink down and rest across his thighs like a cat splaying out on its cozy nest. Bro’s arm lifted to welcome him, then rested weighty on his hip, long fingers splaying out to stroke on his thigh and side. His other hand set the flashlight down so he could stroke at Dave’s hair instead, light focused down the dark hallway in case of threats.

They were in a living nightmare, and now he was playing guard dog for a sleeping Dave. Every sense went on high alert, ready for any threat, ready to run and drag Dave along with him if needs be, were he unable to fight whatever came at them. His mind traced the contents of his bag, tracked back to things he’d read, things he’d watched over time. He’d seen enough movies to know how this played out.

Either the heroes got out alive, or something in the place got them. There was no ‘maybe’. It was either live, or become one of a dozen characters who died to the building that was as haunted as much as the ghosts were that lived within it.

Ghosts. Plural. There had to be more around here, there was no way this much distortion was happening because of a single entity. What else did he have that could be of use? The EMF was trashed, which was probably a bad move, and the soundbox was left with that skull fucker in the trashed room, for better or worse. He couldn’t hear the noise from it up here. ...Was this even really up, though? They were up a few floors and it didn’t feel like they were getting any closer to a roof, and a way down wasn’t possible so far. Maybe this was a parallel dimension for all he knew.

“Bro?” Dave said softly from his lap. Bro curled closer to hear his voice in the dimness.

“Mm?”

“What happens if we can’t get outta here?”

“...I don’t know, kid.”

“What happens if that fuckin’ thing from that room finds us.”

“I don’t know that either.”

“You don’t know much,” Dave mumbled. “I was lied to, adults are supposed to know everything and I don’t know shit, and you’re even older than me and don’t know shit. Television and movies lied to me.”

“Betrayed by the media, poor baby,” Bro snorted. The light of the flashlight flickered and the air grew cold, making his voice go quiet. Dave curled his legs up towards his stomach and turned his head, welcoming Bro’s hands more.

“...In case we don’t make it outta here, I love you man.”

“Bit early,” Bro snorted. “Wanna scrawl a will on the wall next?”

“I’m bein’ serious here, I’ve got a shit feeling. I’ve seen enough horror movies to know we’re kinda boned here. We don’t have magic, or psychic powers. Fuck man, we don’t even have salt or holy water. Why didn’t we bring salt and holy water?”

“Holy water only works if you believe it will.”

“Motherfucker when that thing lifted me up I’m pretty sure I could’ve believed Oprah was God if you told me to believe it,” Dave snapped, then went quiet. “...Wake me up if anything happens.”

Bro smiled a bit as Dave’s breathing eventually slowed and he went limp on his lap, trusting, exhausted. It’d been a lot of running and wandering and stress, not to mention whatever side effects came from direct interaction with a ghost. Demon? Whatever the fuck that thing was. They sat that way for a while, till Bro eventually fell asleep as well despite his best intentions not to. It was as if he were drugged, the silence of the place and the steady feeling of Dave’s breath warm on his leg luring him into a sense of security that had no business existing in their current situation.

Those woke to the sound of Dave’s camera clicking and the flash illuminating the darkness, Dave’s flashlight still off and Bro’s having died at some point. Bro sniffed sharply and jerked his head up, trying to orient himself. Danger? ...No, no danger that he could see. Dave woke a moment later, slower, looking around before feeling for his flashlight, swinging the beam around to Bro’s face.

“Were you sleepin’?” he asked, tone not accusatory so much as concerned. “How long’ve we been here?”

“Your guess is good as mine. ...Oh, ew, you drooled on my thigh...”

Dave muttered under his breath as he sat upright. “Must’ve hit the button in my sleep.”

“Maybe we should get movin’ again,” Bro said. “Maybe there’ll be a way down.”

“Or maybe we’ll just get more lost,” Dave sighed. “Hey. Hold my flashlight for me, c’mere a second. And ditch the mask, I’m past worryin’ about asbestos tonight. Bring on the mesothelioma and the cash settlements I’d be entitled to.”

“I’m already right here, the only way to get closer would be to sit on you,” he said, though he accepted the flashlight and swept the ceiling with it absently as he pulled his mask down to rest around his neck.

“No, I mean lean,” Dave instructed, slipping an arm up around Bro’s shoulder. “If we’re potentially gonna croak here, I want people to know we were fine as hell in life.”

Bro wondered where Dave got such a morbid streak, but didn’t ask it. The kid collected dead shit and had a non-theoretical interest in taxidermy, of course he’d be morbid, what kind of a dumbass thought was going through his head where Dave WOULDN’T be morbid? When Dave tugged him closer and flipped the camera around, he rounded the light up beneath their chins and managed a smile.

The selfies flashed several times as Dave got different poses, having fun with it while he could. It was the most normal thing he’d felt and done since they got out of the truck however many hours ago. When he’d had his fun, he flipped the camera around and scrolled back through the pictures, pausing and frowning at the screen once he’d gone past them.

“...What’s this one?”

“Your camera went off while you were sleepin’ remember? Did you catch somethin’?”

“Yeah, it’s. ...I don’t know,” he murmured, turning the screen so Bro could peer at it. Illuminated in the frame, sideways due to how Dave had been holding his camera, was what appeared to be the wispy outline of a woman. Great. They weren’t alone. Bro flicked the flashlight around them, then back down the hall.

“Anyone there?” he asked. “Can’t help you speak, the fucker downstairs has that toy.”

“Bro, don’t. What if it’s like that prick?” Dave hissed, elbowing Bro in the side.

“If it was like that prick it would’ve done plenty by now,” he pointed out. “We’ve seen you now, but we can’t see you right this second if you’re nearby. Can you like… give us a sign you’re here if you are?”

“Preferably a ‘not liftin’ my ass up by the shoulders’ sign,” Dave interjected, jerking slightly when the camera flashed once more. A look at the screen revealed another wispy figure, smoke rising from the ground. The hairs at their napes lifted, but neither of them dared to move. “...We can’t see you, or hear you if you’re talkin’. We’re uh. We don’t have that kinda ability, ma’am. Are you a ma’am? That’s kinda presumptuous of me I guess, callin’ you ma’am when yo-”

“Save it,” Bro said sternly. “He’s right though. ...I’m guessin’ you don’t want to hurt us, there anything you can do to interact better? Like, show us a way out?”

Another flash of the camera, and the pair looked at each other before looking at the air in front of them. Dave looked at the camera and shook his head. “S’just another shot of mist.”

“Okay. I’m prolly gonna regret this but… let’er rip, lady. Do what you gotta to interact with us, I’m open to it. Just don’t hurt the kid is all I ask,” he said, lifting his chin up. “We need a way out and you seem to know the way, do what you need to do to show us the wa-”

Words died in Bro’s throat as an ice cold sensation traced over his lips, then hurried down his throat, winter on full blast rushing down his spine and back up towards his head before settling behind his eyes. He hissed softly and dropped the flashlight with a clunk, leaving it to flicker a few times as Bro raised his shades and rubbed at his golden eyes. Dave looked at him with concern.

“Dude, I told you not to do that kinda shit, you okay? Do I need to prep CPR or some shit? Kiss of life? Kiss in general? C’mon, talk to me.”

Bro coughed before talking, shaking his head and looking up at the peeling ceiling. “No, no. I’m fine. Just. Shit. What was that?”

_ Can you hear now…?  _ Came a voice that was more than half whisper.

“Yeah I can hear fine,” he said, though his voice was still half groan.

“Bro?”

“What.”

_ Shall I get the boy as well…?  _ Said the wind once more.

“You don’t touch a hair on his fuckin’ head,” Bro snapped. He’d had enough ghostly shit fucking with his family. When he lowered his eyes he nearly dropped his shades, jaw tensing and mouth clenching shut hard enough it made his teeth ache. Crouched just a few inches from his face was a woman in a white hospital gown, green eyes brilliant even in the dimness. Though she lacked hair and had the look of sickness about her, there was a dominant will in her gaze that was unshakable. “I-”

“Bro??” Dave said again, looking more concerned.

“Dave, snap a picture of me, I think I’m losin’ my mind.”

Biting his lip, Dave raised his camera and took a shot, frowning at the mist that seemed settled in front of his brother. “...The lady’s there, I think.”

“Yeah. I think so too. I’m lookin’ at her right now,” Bro said, slowly lowering his shades back down to regain at least some of his poker face. “What’d you do to me, what was that cold shit?”

_ That was me allowing you to see… You want to leave, yes…? _

Bro lifted a hand to pre-emptively cut off Dave’s line of questions right as it was about to start rocketing out of his mouth. “Yeah. We want out. Preferably without big bad’n ugly gettin’ us.”

_ English… You don’t stand a chance against him… _

“Great to know, we’re not wantin’ a fight,” Bro said. “We want to leave.”

_ I want to leave as well,  _ said the woman with a sad smile.  _ I will soon… and take this entire building with me, along with its twisted inhabitants. _

Inhabitants. Plural again. Bro flicked his gaze curiously away from the woman’s face to the darkened hall and slowly reached an arm up to hug onto Dave’s shoulders once more when he realized he could see the ghostly light of several other humanoid figures. Some were more deformed than others, only vaguely looking human any longer, while others looked like mannequins that were slowly floating along on a rail without moving. Compared to the hairless woman before him, they felt threatening in different ways. Ways he didn’t want to contemplate. He felt a coldness on his face, and realized the woman was directing his gaze back towards her.

“So. ...About gettin’ out?” Bro breathed.

_ I can lead… if you do me a favor. _

Favors. Motherfucker, he knew he was gonna regret this bullshit, first a ghost makeout session against his better judgement and now this.

“Fine, what’s the favor.”

_ I need power to do this. More than I have… _

“We’ve got bagfuls of batteries,” Bro offered. “And-”

“What’s goin’ on, Bro,” Dave interrupted. “You can see her? Why can’t I? You’re talkin’, you hearin’ her? Or’s this place gettin’ to you? I promise we’ll get home somehow, don’t go bonkers on me, I need you-”

“Dave, gimme a second,” Bro said softly, “I don’t understand what’s goin’ on either but I’m pretty sure I haven’t lost my marbles yet.”

_ I need you to do a ritual for me… _

“Ritual? Lady we ain’t professionals, we-”

_ A circle of blood, with the batteries inside should suffice… _

“Blood?”

“BLOOD?” Dave repeated, reaching up to touch Bro’s forehead with his hand. “Yeah, you’re losin’ it.”

“Dave!”

The woman seemed to smile at their antics, but slowly stood up. The hospital gown sagged at her bony shoulders.  _ Energy and living energy… unless you’d rather I use the boy to get this rolling. _

“I already said, you don’t touch the boy,” Bro said, slowly standing up as well once he grabbed the flashlight. “You deal with me, and leave him alone.”

“Bro, tell me what the fuck’s goin’ on,” Dave said as he rose to his feet, hands curled around his camera once more. “Blood? Why’s she keep talkin’ about touchin’ me, and why do you keep sayin’ no? Shouldn’t I have a say in if a hot lady wants to touch m-”

“ **_Dave._ ** _ ” _

“Alright, alright, sorry. Yeesh...”

Bro ran a hand over his mouth, remembered his mask, sighed, and left it off. Fuck it.

“...She’s sayin’ she needs a ritual in exchange for helpin’ us get out here. She wants to take out big bad’n ugly, and wants to take this whole place with her apparently? But it’ll take all the batteries and some blood.”

“A blood ritual. Right, that doesn’t sound suspicious at all.”

“Look, if it’ll get us outta here, I’m game. And I keep sayin’ to leave you alone because it’s my fuckin’ fault we’re here in the first place. I’ll be the one to get us out.”

_ Noble… foolish… Young blood works well… _

“Can it. Where do you want the blood and how do I give it,” Bro said, glancing towards where the woman had been standing, only to realize she was further away now, walking silently into one of the nearer rooms. Mindful to avoid looking at the other figures Bro slipped an arm around Dave’s shoulders to edge him along with him at the same time.

The room they were led to looked fairly clean, at least compared to the rest of the building. A simple patient’s room, with a vase of dried flowers on the window sill, sheets rumpled and turned down, peeled paint relegated to a corner as if it had been swept. The air felt lighter in here, albeit colder. Calmer. Safer. Dave clicked a photo of the vase and smiled a bit at the screen of his camera as he checked that it had been captured.

Before Bro could ask about the blood again, the woman had knocked open a cabinet and dropped a metal tray onto the counter below with a clattering bang. Forceps and a sharp looking scalpel were there, shining in the beam of the flashlight, looming in the silence between them.

“You can’t be serious,” Dave said, “you’ll get like. Super diseases the world has never known before.”

“Put the batteries on the ground for me,” Bro said, taking his bag off and handing it over to Dave as he made his way to the scalpel. “...You just need a circle, right? How big.”

_ Not large… Encircle the batteries… Think happy thoughts...  _

“Bro, this doesn’t feel right. What if-”

“It’ll be fine,” Bro promised, picking up the blade and looking at it under the light. He heard the soft clicks and clacks as Dave upended the bag carefully on the floor, and bit his lip. It looked preternaturally sharp, and though looks could be deceiving, clean. He’d need to disinfect the fuck out of himself after this. “Right. You ready, Dave?”

“No,” he replied honestly.

“Perfect, neither am I,” Bro said as he approached the batteries, took a deep breath, and sliced his palm deeply before he could think on it too hard. Blood poured from his hand and to the ground in heavy crimson droplets, dribbling when he squeezed his fist and quickly encircled the batteries with droplets a few times to get as much as he could out. He thought of Dave’s childhood, of the years they’d spent together, of their affectionate times. His adrenaline had kicked on again, saving him from more than a stinging sensation on his arm as he flicked his gaze up towards the woman. There had been no flash of light, no magical change in venues.

She appeared different now, somewhat more monstrous, though her bright green eyes remained vivid and ethereal. The skeletal frame she’d inhabited was much more pronounced, fingers long and teeth sharp. Bro frowned at her.

“The way out, now.”

_ Run… _

“Run?”

“Run?” Dave repeated, glancing behind them as the door suddenly opened. “Bro, is that the lady? That thing is the one who wanted to touch me? I think I understa-”

“ _ Run _ ,” Bro repeated as the increasingly terrifying woman swept towards and out the door almost in a blur. Bloody hand beginning to ache, he reached it out for Dave’s hand and grasped it tightly, yanking him along out the door and through the corridor back the direction they’d come from.

Stairs.

There were stairs there.

Bro barreled towards them while Dave yelled that, no, that was a wall, Bro they were going to hit, they were going to break his camera, they were-

They were down the stairs, and Dave was silent, gaping. They’d gone through what had been a solid wall not moments before, hadn’t they? What was even happening? The spirit guide darted this way and that, sending the pair skidding around corners in the maze-like building as they struggled to keep up with what Bro was seeing and as Dave tried not to flinch with every solid structure they encountered. They hadn’t been hit yet, after all.

Another stairwell after more running, and in the distance they could hear it: laughter, and the echoing cycle of the soundbox in a distant room. They were near the exit then. Almost there. The first hint of fresh air had Bro flash stepping even faster, Dave yelping and trying to keep his footing as he kept up with his long legged strides, only to yell when the looming figure came into view before them.

Had this been a trick to lure them back to the demon? The woman was past him though, and turning the corner already. Not willing to lose her, not willing to be trapped in this place any longer, Bro did the only thing he could think to do. Pausing for a split second he grabbed Dave around the middle and threw him over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry and dove forwards towards the demon.

“FUCK YOU YOU UGLY PRICK,” he hollered, clenching his eyes shut as they raced forward… and dropped down to his knees, skidding through the demons legs to the other side. Dave yelled something about his skin burning, about ice and heat, but Bro couldn’t listen. They were so close, so close to getting out. So close.

The first breath of fresh air from the double doors they barreled through, as compared to the dusty, murky air of the hospital, was a Godsend. Bro ran several more paces before he finally stopped and dropped Dave, who staggered a few paces, shirt bloody and face pale as he stared at the hospital, mask around his throat. He lifted his camera and took a picture, though he wasn’t sure it could capture what they were seeing happen.

The demon, though it had given chase, was locked within the building like a caged animal, trying and failing to break through the doorway. The woman, the ghost, the demoness, the whatever the fuck she had become, was standing on the front stairs and spreading her arms.

Angel.

Maybe she was an angel, Dave thought as a form like white wings developed behind her. A terrifying, grotesque angel of mercy and justice that was done taking other people’s shit. She lifted from the ground and gestured in front of herself as if she were conducting something, directing more sources of light to form and return to the buildings corners. The ground shook uncomfortably, and the pair backed up further before deciding it would be best to just get to the truck, and get as many miles between here and there as possible. Dave snapped another photo as they got into the finally re-found vehicle right where it had been left, with Bro cussing under his breath and adjusting the rear view mirror to keep an eye on the place while he slammed it into reverse and then into drive after sweeping it past the parking barriers. The sun was just beginning to rise.

“Jesus fuck,” Dave breathed, not buckled in, still turned in his seat to stare out the back window. The hospital was shaking as hard as the ground was, and slowly beginning to compress in on itself. By the time they started to drive away, the building was almost entirely gone. “Go back! It’s. It’s gone…!”

“Like fuck I’m goin’ back, fuck that place, and fuck me for goin’ there to begin with! Buckle up, damn it,” Bro barked, driving like a madman down the empty road and to the highway. He sped the entire way home, not stopping for anything till they finally got parked and safely up the stairs.

Dave stripped his shirt off to check the blood damage, and Bro went to run his hand under the kitchen sink, cleaning it with soap and finally taking a good look at it. A perfectly clean slice, it’d heal crisp and clean if he used his hand sparingly, which would take some adjustments. Guess he’d be machine sewing instead of hand stitching for a while.

“I’m gonna jump in the shower. I won’t take long, you can take your time when I’m done,” Dave promised.

“Yeah,” Bro said as he turned the sink off and grabbed a wad of paper towels for his hand as a temporary covering, heading to the futon. He kicked his shoes off and sat down, elbows on his knees, as he tried to focus on everything that had happened. Everything that had changed. Getting trapped had been terrifying, getting out had been a rush, and now the place was fucking gone if they’d seen right. ...Maybe this was a sign to stop the urbex for a while. Lay low. Maybe study history and shit for a while instead of breaking and entering abandoned places for pictures. Count their fucking blessings. He turned the television on, wondering what time it was, and grimaced when he saw it was the next day officially, trying to think what he had to get done today. What could he put off till tomorrow? Was there anything time sensitive?

The shower turned on in the bathroom… and Bro smirked a bit, standing up and pulling his own shirt off carefully, shedding layers on the way to the bathroom. Yeah, he could wait his turn. But after all that? He’d rather stick nice and close to Dave while he could, savor every second of it.

“Hey,” Dave said, looking over. He’d stripped down and was turning to step into the shower stall now that the water had heated up, while Bro ditched his belt.

Bro froze, then stalked forwards, grabbing Dave by the upper arm to halt him.

“Ow, fuck, what? What is it?” Dave asked. “And can it wait till I’m  _ not  _ naked and tryin’ to take a shower?”

“What’s that on your upper back?”

“Upper back? Dirt, blood, you name it. You bled clear through my damn shirt, remember Mr. Blood Ritual?”

“No, it’s. ...Dave, you’ve got some kinda mark on you,” Bro said, reaching into the shower to wet his fingers before rubbing the site, making Dave wince.

“What is it? Lemme see,” he demanded, yanking free to go in front of the clouding mirror, frowning. “Where is it?”

“Clear as day, between your shoulder blades. See?” Bro said, tracing it carefully with a fingertip. 

Dave frowned. “...Bro, I don’t see anything.”

Bro was quiet, contemplative. “...Hop in the shower, I’ll be there in a second. Maybe it’s just raised skin and you can’t see it as clear,” he reasoned. Though he looked unconvinced, Dave slipped away and into the shower, soaking his dusty hair down and starting to scrub down with shampoo and soap while waiting for Bro to step in after him whenever he finished stripping.

Bro wiped the mirror clear and took his shades off, peering into his own eyes.

His own green eyes.

...Maybe getting home wasn’t the end of everything after all.


End file.
